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Staffordshire athletes blog their paths to London 2012 |
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As the start date of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games gets closer and closer a few Staffordshire athletes, who are aiming for selection to a GB Team, provide a monthly blog to track their progress over the next 8 months. So read on to hear about their quest and amazing sporting experiences...
Adam Burgess - Canoe Slalom (C1 and C2) November Blog... Posted: 22 November 2011
I was very happy with this. Over the last 3 years I have gone 4-3-2, so next year (especially with it being an Olympic year) I hope to continue that upward trend and get that number 1 spot!
I started my winter training on November 1st. It's all hard work now until a short rest period over Christmas and New Year before restarting my 2012 campaign in January.
My first week was very hard, the first one always is after a bit of a break at the back end of summer. I like to have a bit of a break before starting winter training; I find I'm always so motivated and excited to get started.
My week now consists of: 8 paddling sessions, 4 gym sessions, 2 land-based conditioning sessions, and 1 gymnastic based gym session. It's very intense but I'm really enjoying it and I'm feeling good.
I'm excited to see what benefits are going to come to the addition of a lot more functional/gymnastic type strength exercises coming into the gym programme.
Read more about Adam in his previous blogs
Joe Clarke - Canoe Slalom – K1 category
On the second run I pushed slightly harder in the places that my coach and me had identified during video review and laid down the fastest run of the day. The pressure was on the last few boats to knock me off top spot and after watching the last few boats come down, either making mistakes or picking up penalties, I knew I had won!! This securing my national ranking of number 2 (1st U23) for the next season and qualifying me through to the semi final in 1st place (so I was last off).
Sunday’s semi final course was slightly harder but I felt very comfortable with the course set and pushed hard on my semi-final run to secure myself a place into the final in 2nd place. Then it was time for a quick video review between runs before getting on the water again for the final.
My final run was very fast but coming into the penultimate gate a gust of wind blew the pole into my paddle meaning I had picked up a 2 second penalty, but I kept calm and pushed for the finish.
More recently, I have had gym testing, this measures the amount of force I can produce and on specific exercises the amount of weight I can lift. The results I received were very positive showing an increase in overall strength and power since the last time I tested. Out on the water everything is going well and the temperatures are still very mild, let's just hope it stays like this until the New Year!
Unfortunately the Olympic Torch Relay doesn't come through Stone where grew up, but I think it will still have a very positive impact on the community and a long lasting legacy. This will hopefully help to promote sport and get more youngsters active and striving to compete at future Olympics.
To find out more visit www.joe-clarke.co.uk
Kian Emadi - Track Cycling November Blog... Posted: 23 November 2011
Championship. This is to make the night more exciting for the 5000 strong audience.
I rode in the first revolution of the series which was on the 29th of October. The main attraction of the night was the sprinting. It was a high calibre field with Craig Maclean, Michael D’Almeida and David Daniell riding, who between them have multiple World and Commonwealth titles and medals.
In my first sprint race, I came up against Thierry Jollet, a French rider who was Junior World Champion a few years ago. I knew he was a top class rider, but wasn’t really sure about his form as I hadn’t seen him recently. The race was very tactical, but in the end I managed to attack from the back of the race and pass him with 20m to go. I was pleased with this as I didn’t really expect it.
Next, in the semi finals, I was racing another French rider, Michael D’Almeida. He is current Senior World Champion and one of the fastest riders in the world. Needless to say, I didn’t have many expectations going into this ride either, as it was almost assumed that he would win. In the race, I rode from the front, trying to unnerve him. With one lap to go, I committed and just had my head down for the line. With 20m to go I couldn’t see him
and was surprised and a bit confused when I crossed the line first! I really didn’t think I would win that one, and it was my most prestigious win to date.
In the final, I came up against team mate Dave Daniell, another very quick guy. I lost this one as, although I raced well, I just let him get a little too far ahead and then ran out of legs a bit, but all in all a very good night! I’m very pleased with my performance, it was unexpected and surprising, and I really enjoyed the event.
On another note, I recently learnt that the Olympic Torch will be carried through Shelton and other parts of Stoke-on-Trent as part of the procession around Britain. This is great news for Shelton and the City of Stoke-on-Trent; it is a very prestigious award! I think there will be a ceremony in Hanley Park, which is really exciting because my mum used to take us there when we were kids to feed the ducks and play on the swings. The Olympic Torch
symbolises all the Olympic ideals of bringing people together and doing your best, and these can inspire all of us, whether athletes or not.
For more information visit:
Mark Fosbrook - GB Wheelchair Basketball November's Blog... Posted: 15 November 2011
The Sport Maker Launch also took place on the day the Olympic Torch route was announced. This made the day even more special as Staffordshire was announced as benefitting hugely from this with the torch passing through 10 communities. This is a real opportunity for the community of Staffordshire to get enthused by the the games next year.
I was also invited to attend the first visit of a tour around the Country for Jeremy Hunt MP as he encourages businesses to be involved with the London 2012 hype and also to promote the School Games. My visit involved the later with a visit to the Richard Rose Academy in Carlisle. The day involved spending some time with young sports leaders and answering their questions. I then did some media interviews before listening to Jeremy Hunt give an inspirational talk to encourage schools to sign up to the School Games. He then called me up to the stage and I then answered questions from both Jeremy and the audience.
In terms of my actual sporting participation this month we have seen the start of the RGK Super League. This year this is a four team league which are made up of the top four teams in the Country. This means all the games in this league will be tough. I am playing with the RGK TCAT Rhinos and we have now played two games and have won both. We have also started the British Wheelchair Basketball Showcase League. This league is a GB Performance league in which players
turn up for the weekend and are placed in a team by the GB Coaches. This has now started and and will continue every month leading into London. Both of these are just some of the ways in which the BWB are supporting athletes to prepare for London.
To find out more visit
Claire Nixon - Water Polo November's Blog...
Read more about Claire in her previous blogs
Mark Proctor - Canoe Slalom, C1 category November's Blog...
in the gym on cleans, weighted chin ups, snatch and force measurements. But what's a good way of measuring this has a positive impact in my boat you might be thinking?
Well, around the time of gym testing we have water tests also, this is comprised of 20metre sprint times and 100metre sprints all in a swimming pool (same conditions all year round). This helps us see what effects the training is having on us in the boat. I set myself a target for the winter and I have already gone beneath that which is a good sign (if you remember in October's blog I wrote about my different training approach this winter).
Another good thing which came out this month was the news of the Olympic Flame passing through ten Staffordshire communities next summer. This is for sure a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and shouldn't be missed.
Back to paddling and there were 2 races/events which I took part in the back end of October. The first being a head-to-head slalom at Stone for the opening of the new Club House. I won the race winning my first ever prize money in the sport of £20.12, but the main event being the opening of the club house. It's incredible, the people who have put all the effort into it deserve a massive pat on the back.
The other event being the final race of the season at Holme Pierrpont and the British Open. I won the race by over a second and couldn't of asked for a better way to end the season. This puts me on a good platform for the winter, as the old saying "you're only as good as your last race" will last a while!
Read more about Mark in his previous blogs
Michelle Ross-Cope - GB Runner
November's Blog...
long after I’d got home my back completely locked! This was extremely painful and I was finding it difficult to even walk. I contacted my physio and we agreed to leave it a day to see if it got better, it eased a little but it was obvious I needed treatment asap. I have to say the treatment he put me through was as painful as child birth! I do think that physiotherapists should allow you to have gas and air during treatment and I personally feel that they get a kick out of seeing me in so much pain.
The day after the treatment my back was feeling considerably better and I was actually feeling more pain from the bruises I received during the treatment than from my back. Over the next few days I gradually increased my training back up to normal levels, unfortunately I had to withdraw from the GSR!
So here I am again wondering what race to do next and to fit it in around the children’s activities with the lead up to Christmas.
giving people on the way up a helping hand. While there I also found out about the Olympic Torch coming through the area, it had been announced that morning. It’s definitely great news for the area and will be something that will probably never happen again in this generation. Hopefully everyone in the area will get out to see it pass through the streets and cheer it on its way.
To find out more visit: http://www.rosscoperunning.co.uk/ twitter@rosscoperunning
Jacqui Slack - Elite Triathlete November's Blog...
A typical day in Wollongong involves an early morning swim usually a 5.30 start and we cover around 5k. This is followed by a small breakfast then out on the bike for a few hours before the sun gets too hot. We will generally have a rest after lunch before our last session of the day which is a 1 hour run. Wollongong is a great place to train I am swimming with a squad of surf swimmers at the university. I did my first 5k open water ocean swim the other day which I won. It was pretty scary as the course went out to sea and followed the shark nets along the bay, luckily I was concentrating so hard on where I was going I didn’t get chance to look for the sharks or jelly fish. I’m enjoying being by the ocean not only is it great for surfing it’s also good for recovery after a hard session. I’ve been having 1 day off training a week; I usually get a massage and Ben and I go surfing. Surfing is so hard especially when the waves are battering you, it’s actually like doing another training session I love it though!
Well not long to go now just 8 more days and I fly back to England for an English Christmas. If my training continues to go like it has been then I’ll be fully on track by January and I can’t wait to get stuck in to some gruelling sessions again. I feel like I’m totally over all my illnesses now and am so excited to see how far I can push my body to perform well next year bring it on...!
To find out more visit:
Emma Wilkins - Swimming
November's Blog...
It is nearly two months since my move to Loughborough Intensive Training Centre (I.T.C.) all is going very well. I am really enjoying my new training schedule, such a great variety, with the addition of ballet, which may seem rather unusual for a swimmer, however, it works on body posture and control, which is very important for positioning in the water.
I competed in my first GBR international swim, under the guidance of my new coach Ben Titley, which was held in Berlin where I competed in the 50m butterfly, 100m and 50m freestyle events. I achieved all unsuited personal best times. For those of you new to swimming, unsuited refers to current suits allowed by FINA, the international governing body, since full body suits were banned following the 2009 World Championships, where many world records were broken. I was very pleased with my performances as these times were on the back of heavy training. My swim in the 50m butterfly was really pleasing as this now ranks me 2nd in the British Swimming National Short Course Rankings.
I was delighted to receive a letter from Staffordshire Amateur Swimming Association to confirm that I have been awarded the M G Evans Memorial Trophy. This trophy is awarded each year to the individual or club whose performance is judged by the committee to be the most meritorious for that year. They will be making the presentation at the 2012 Annual County Swimming Championships, which are held in March.
London 2012: National Memorial Arboretum
Arboretum which will mark Armed Forces Day,on Saturday 30th June 2012. I would love to be there and how fantastic would it be to be a torch bearer, representing Staffordshire.......Good Luck to all.
On Wednesday 16th November I fly out to Florida with my new swimming colleagues, support team, coaches and physio etc. This is a three week training camp, not a holiday..... I am told it is going to really tough. The reason for training overseas is to keep away from the British colds and flu in preparation for the Olympic trials. I look forward to giving you a full update upon my return.
And finally, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank my new sponsor, Clinigen Group, a Specialty Pharmaceutical and Services company based in Burton upon Trent, for their valued commitment and support which has allowed me to make the move to Loughborough ITC, to progress to another level training alongside top GBR swimmers in the country.
You can follow Emma on:- Twitter: @emmawilkins1991 http://www.facebook.com/thegamesandme Read more about Emma in her previous blogs
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